To book: Tell us you want to book your place by using the ‘contact us’ form on this website and we will give payment details.

For more information: use the ‘contact us’ form on this website and ask your question or ask for us to call you, giving us your name and number.

For whom:All partners, however part-time, of parents. Your partners children need not live with you, or can be occasional visitors, or live with you all the time. Your partner’s children can be adults or children. Participants can be established step-parents or people not yet met their step-children. Some step-children refuse to meet their step-parents, and these people are also welcome on the programme Sometimes both partners in a family are step-parents, if so you may prefer to attend separate workshops. Parents whose partner is the step-parent could consider a couple’s session in preference to the workshop which is for step-parents. .

Aim: Workshops offer a particular way of enabling participants to solve their problems. Being part of a group helps participants to understand they are not alone. Listening and talking enables participants to think through their problem(s) and come to new perspectives and new solutions they had not thought of before. This kind of thinking can rarely be done alone. There is a lot known about step-family dynamics but not much of this is common knowledge or commonly understood. The workshop aims to normalise a step-parents experience. Inform step-parents about step-family life in ways they had not previously thought. To learn about strategies and ideas that have worked for others. To calmly and rationally think through what would help them next with their own step-parents experience.

Content: The workshops use a mixture of education -informing of stepfamily research and findings. Psychology – to help participants understand how reactions, feelings and behavior can be linked to the complex dynamic of a step-family, and the past experience and expectation of individuals within the family. Behaviour change – strategies for problem solving and modifying step-family inter-action.

Experience: The workshops are friendly and participative and yet participants need share no more than they are comfortable to do. There is no necessity to talk about anything personal or sensitive unless they feel entirely happy to do so. Confidentiality is talked about and asked for within the room. The facilitators have much experience of step-family life and can draw on this experience. We hope the day will be fun, relaxing, a huge relief from the tribulations of step-family life, and very, very helpful to any step-parent whatever their circumstance.

Facilitators: The two facilitators who will both be present at the workshop are Alison O’Mahony and Kim Revell. Alison and Kim are both step-parents and professionally qualified. Alison as a Family Therapy Practitioner and Kim as a Counselling psychologist. Please see details under ‘the team’ on this website. Both Alison and Kim are experienced workshop facilitators, and have run this workshop several times.

The outcomes of the workshop:

For participants to….

become more knowledgeable about step-family dynamics.

feel more confident and competent in their own step-family environment.

take away a personalised plans to help in their own family.

have enjoyed the day talking with others in step-family situations.

Programme content:

Title: Getting it right so it doesn’t go wrong – in step-parenting.

Content will cover:

Understanding step-family life

How to bring the family together

Introducing boundaries and discipline when these often vary from house to house and person to person.

Being treated right as a step-parent

Working with your partner especially around the mixed emotions in step-families

Love in a step-family and your role.

Children who are rude, difficult or needy

Dealing with challenging ex-partners and extended families

Understanding a step-parents journey and how to make it work for you.

Fresh starts.

Workshop participants say

Wonderful. Would highly recommend. Thank you!

Very helpful – really enjoyed the chance to talk.

Really found it helpful and re-assuring to share stories. Felt really heard.

I got extremely valuable insights from all.

Previous workshop participants have said:

I got so much out of your workshop, I have no hesitation in recommending your service – Workshop participant

Thank you for yesterday. It was helpful. I am feeling less stressed about it than I was before talking to you, so thank you, - client, June 2012

I’m hugely impressed. Genius! – workshop participant

I found the whole day useful and a release. A very enthusiastic workshop – workshop participant.

Cannot fault anything. It was all very enjoyable and incredibly useful – workshop participant,

Thanks a lot for a wonderful meeting before half term – it was a fabulous session – workshop participant,

I benefitted enormously from the day – workshop participant,

Thanks so much for the day. It was really useful – workshop participant,

The workshop was informative, thought provoking, sensitive and sympathetic to everyone’s situation regardless of how difficult and emotional – delegate,

The whole workshop was good. I really found the problem-solving session useful. I wish my partner would attend – delegate,

I have attended a step-parenting session with Be StepWise in the past. I find the session to be extremely useful. They give me fresh strategies to deal with certain situation, - delegate,

I liked the different techniques and scenarios talked about on the programme – delegate,

Very enjoyable and useful to meet others experiencing broadly similar issues and similar emotions. Great sensible, compassionate strategies offered – delegate,

I feel each step-family should attend a similar programme to aid smooth blending of the new step-family – delegate,

Maybe run the workshop over two days? So much to talk about – Delegate

The workshop was helpful, informative, a great release. I feel more armed to deal with my situation – delegate,

Great to meet others with similar issues. Fantastic to get such compassionate but positive strategies. I will forward to using them. Client on workshop,

It has really made a big difference. We are off to a much better start – delegate,

I would never have expected that so many positive changes could result from just one day on the step-parenting programme. The simple techniques I learnt on the course have really improved my relationship with my family while being easy to set in motion. – delegate

All issues in the group were uncannily the same. Thank you very much. I think new step-parents should attend a session - delegate